


Just a little crush

by angstbot



Series: Readers' Choice [24]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), Swen, swan queen - Fandom
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:56:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22533610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angstbot/pseuds/angstbot
Summary: So what if she was attracted to Emma? She could damn well control herself and be an adult. She would get through this with her dignity intact if it killed her. Readers’ Choice VIII, Part 1.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Series: Readers' Choice [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/580855
Comments: 21
Kudos: 267





	Just a little crush

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Share a bed trope in which Emma is fine with it but Regina feels like an awkward, horny teenager about it. Emma’s used to wanting Regina because she always has, so she can just ignore her feelings, but Regina just realized it lately and is hilariously awkward lying next to Emma. Bonus points for Emma in boy shorts and a white tank top, hair up.
> 
> In classic Readers' Choice style, this is word-count delimited. Since it has taken me so long to write and my follower count isn't moving as fast as it used to, I decided to go with increasing the length by how long it takes me to write, i.e. the word count is my # of Tumblr followers + the # of days since prompts were selected.

_It's just a little crush (crush)_  
 _Not like I faint every time we touch_  
-Jennifer Paige, Crush (1996)

“I have good news and bad news,” Emma said, ducking into the car.

Regina sighed. “Give me the good news first.”

“There’s a room.” They were in the parking lot of the only motel for miles, both too sleepy to keep driving. It was a long way from New York to Storybrooke, and they had lingered well past dinner, not wanting to admit they were actually dropping Henry off at college and leaving without him.

“And the bad news?”

“The one available has, I kid you not, only one bed.”

“Really?” she groaned.

“Yeah, it’s a total cliché, but what’re we gonna do? I promise I don’t snore and won’t put my cold feet on you.” She chuckled.

Regina made herself laugh back, hoping it didn’t sound as hollow to Emma as it did to her. “You’d better not.”

As they parked and checked in and navigated the long monotonous hallway to their room, Regina’s head was spinning. Sharing a bed with Emma sounded like the most awkward thing she could think of. They would be so close, and in thin pajamas, and she would be unconscious—and she might do something to act on this ridiculous attraction to Emma she’d finally had to admit wasn’t going away.

Yet somehow, Emma Swan, possibly the most (adorably) awkward person on the planet, was nonchalantly chattering about going to the IHOP across the street for breakfast like they did this every week.

“What’s your preference?”

Regina choked. “What?!”

Emma cocked her head in that puppydog way she had of being confused. “What side of the bed do you want?”

“Oh,” she said, with a little laugh that was borderline hysterical. “Left.” _Of course_ Emma wasn’t asking any other kind of preference. She looked around, desperate for something to distract herself.

Emma just said, “Okay. Do you mind if I use the bathroom first?”

Her “Sure!” was too emphatic. Emma looked at her strangely but grabbed her toiletry case and went in without saying anything more.

When the door closed, Regina sighed in relief, sitting on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands, glad for a moment to pull herself together. She took long, slow breaths, willing herself to focus. She had faced down chernabogs and Dark Ones and her own mother and never batted an eyelash. Some silly crush was nothing. So what if she was attracted to Emma? She could damn well control herself and be an adult. Even if the anxious longing did feel a lot like being a girl all over again hoping for her first kiss.

“All yours,” Emma said.

Regina made the mistake of looking up, and everything seemed to stop. She was wearing nothing but one of her tank tops and boy-short underwear. Regina stared, mouth dry, as Emma tossed her clothes into her bag, stood up in a fluid motion, swept her hair up in a ponytail, and her raised arms made the thinness of the tank top unbearably obvious.

“I need to shower,” she blurted, grabbing her bag and fleeing into the bathroom before she could see anything else.

She pressed her forehead against the cool surface of the door once she was safely locked behind it. A cold shower would be just the thing to cool her overheated . . . everything. She made the spray as cold as she could stand it, then stood under it for a very long time. As she dried off, she stared herself down in the mirror, suppressing shivers. She would get through this with her dignity intact if it killed her.

Once she was dressed—and so grateful for her full-length pajamas—and ready for bed, she steeled herself and went back into the main room. Emma was leaning against the headboard scrolling through her phone. The lighting was low and warm and intimate, but at least she had the covers pulled up to her chest. Regina managed to set down her bag without looking at her, and caught only a glimpse when she got into bed before she turned to face away. There, that wasn’t so hard.

“G’night,” Emma murmured, and that was _also_ low and warm and intimate and the last thing she needed to hear right now.

“Regina?”

She realized she’d waited too long to reply. “Yes, good night. Sorry. I’m very tired.”

“Yeah, fair. It’s been a long day.”

Regina gave a noncommittal “Mm,” hoping Emma would take it as exhaustion. She really needed to not be having a conversation with Emma’s body heat radiating where she’d already warmed the sheets beside her.

“Henry texted goodnight. I can’t believe he’s all grown up and starting college! When did that happen?”

Could she pretend to be asleep? That would be rude, but she was desperate enough to consider it.

“Oh, sorry, you said you’re tired. We can talk about it tomorrow.”

Emma really was impossibly sweet—which was why she could never know about Regina’s ridiculous crush. She was far too good for someone with such a dark past, and she’d probably feel obligated to reciprocate out of some warped sense of herself as the Savior whose job it was to bring happy endings. She could never tell her.

It was then that she started to shiver. Willing herself to stop, she tensed every muscle. It wasn’t enough. She just kept shaking.

“Are you- shivering?”

“No,” she said sullenly.

Emma’s “Regina,” was severe.

“Yes, damn it,” she gritted out. She stopped trying to suppress it and shook even harder now.

“Was there a problem with the hot water or something?”

“Something like that,” she muttered.

“Well, let’s get you warmed up!” It was just like her to cheerfully leap into action to take care of someone.

Regina felt the bed shift behind her, and oh no-

In the next moment, Emma pressed against her back, pulling her close all along her body. If she thought sharing a bed was bad, this was impossibly worse. Seeing her in that outfit was nothing compared to feeling her breasts against her back and her hips against her ass. She was in hell. She had died and gone to hell, to be forever tormented by her incapacitating attraction to Emma Swan and unable to act on it. 

She was trapped. If she pulled away, Emma would want to know why, and she couldn’t possibly tell her. All she could do was try not to enjoy this. It would be wrong to take advantage of Emma’s kindness. She held very still—as still as her shivering would let her—trying not to even breathe too deeply lest she press her breasts into the arm around her.

Slowly, she felt her body warm up and the shivers stop. When they were gone, she felt a hint of relief. Emma would move away now, and she could almost relax. As the moments stretched on, she knew she should tell her she was fine and that she could go back to her side of the bed. But she didn’t, and the tension seemed to grow with each breath she took and didn’t speak.

“Are you okay?”

Her “Yes” came out a little strangled.

She felt Emma freeze behind her, then quickly pull away. “Oh no, I made you uncomfortable.”

“What?”

“I just wanted to warm you up. I wasn’t trying to be inappropriate- I swear. I’m so sorry-” Emma was talking very quickly now.

Regina actually turned over to look at her, baffled. All she could say was “What?” again.

“I’ll just be over here. My side of the bed. I was really just trying to warm you up, not put the moves on you or cop a feel or-” She slid back and sat up stiffly against the headboard.

Regina finally snapped out of her surprise. “Emma, stop. I’m fine.” She sat up too, if only to make it easier to look Emma in the eye. She caught an eyeful anyway.

“You’re okay?”

Her “Yes” was a little strained.

“You’re not.” _Of course_ she noticed it. This was an inconvenient time for Emma to read her so well.

“It’s not anything you did.”

“But it’s something.”

“Damn it, Emma, can you stop being sweet and just let this go?”

“You think I’m sweet?”

Emma’s expression looked open and awed like she didn’t think she’d heard right. She couldn’t bear the thought of her face crumpling, so as much as it was going to get her into trouble, all she could say was “Yes.”

“Do you- like me?”

“Of course I like you.”

There was that severe “Regina” again. “You know what I mean.”

“Is this really the time to get into this?”

“Regina.”

“Yes,” she said, defeated. “I like you.”

“Like, _like me_ -like me.” And she seemed so young and unsure and exactly like Regina had felt earlier.

“Yes.” She looked down, steeling herself for the inevitable rejection.

“Wow.” Emma seemed shocked. This was a bad idea- “I didn’t think I’d get that lucky.”

“You- what?” She stared at her, not sure what was happening.

“I mean I liked you forever but it just always seemed like you weren’t interested, and-”

Suddenly Regina realized what she’d heard. “Wait, you like me- forever?”

“Well yeah.” She shrugged. “At least- since I realized you were not just hot and kinda evil but caring and thoughtful and _you_.”

“Me?”

“You know, a complicated, wonderful person and not some Evil Queen.”

“Oh, Emma, that’s- the most romantic thing I think anyone has ever said to me.”

There was that hopeful look again. “Yeah?”

“Yes.”

Emma smiled her big wide smile at her for a long moment, then grew thoughtful.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“Well-” She looked down at her hands in her lap, and Regina couldn’t read her expression from this angle. “If it wasn’t creepy when we cuddled before, could we do it again?” She looked at her out of the corner of her eye.

“I’d like that.”

Emma lit up again and wriggled back down to lay on her side. “Come be my little spoon!”

Regina couldn’t help smiling back at her. She lay down in front of her, and felt contentment wash over her when Emma put her arm around her. She let herself appreciate it now, the softness of her curves and the firmness of her muscles and the warmth and safety of being wrapped in her arms. After a few moments, Emma started to run a slow, flat hand over her arm and side. It gave her a wonderful half-ticklish shiver.

Emma stopped the motion of her hand and pulled her closer. “Are you cold again?”

Regina was so enamored of her protectiveness that she hugged her arms against her tighter. “No, just a tingling sensation. A good one,” she hastened to add.

“Oh good.”

They fell into a companionable silence, and Regina was starting to feel sleepy by the time Emma spoke again.

“It’s weird the hot water went out. It was fine when I used it.”

Regina felt a twinge of guilt. Here they were, starting something like a relationship, and she couldn’t lie to her about it, but she also didn’t want to confess. “I just overdid it.”

“Oh, okay.” Emma snuggled closer to her, but she could almost feel her thinking, so she wasn’t surprised when a moment later she asked, “Overdid what?”

She could be euphemistic, right? “I wanted to- cool off, and it ended up being more than it should’ve been.”

“Okay, but- it’s in the 60s outside, why were you hot?”

“She says, walking around basically naked,” she shot back, exasperated with this entire line of questioning.

“I’m not, I-” She paused. Then Regina felt her pull away slightly, as if to look at her. “Wait, did you take a cold shower?”

“Didn’t I just say I did?”

“No, like a _cold shower_ , what people do when they’re horny.”

“Ugh, that word is awful.”

“Okay, but you did, didn’t you? You were hot and it’s not because of the weather, and you seem to have opinions about what I’m wearing, and you took a cold shower.”

She was well and truly caught. “Yes,” she sighed, closing her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

“It’s- inappropriate to be _ogling_ you.”

“Are you kidding me?” She felt her move again and turned to look, finding her on her back gesticulating at the ceiling. “Regina Mills gets hor- _hot and bothered_ about me. Me! This is the best thing ever!”

“Really?”

“Yes!” Emma paused, then turned back, propping herself on one elbow. “Are you still?”

“Still what?”

“Hot and bothered.”

“My interest is piqued.”

Emma gave a little snort and poked her in the side. “Look at you playing it cool now. _Your interest is piqued_. What does your interest think about this?” Her hand started sliding along her side, to her hip and down onto her thigh, fingertips digging in just a bit.

Regina gave a little hum. “My interest likes that.”

Emma leaned in and nuzzled her ear, murmuring, “And my interest likes when you say ‘Mm’ like that.”

The low, intimate tone of her voice was sparking desire in Regina almost as much as her hand, which was starting to slide back up the inside of her thigh now. She reached up and cupped the back of Emma’s neck to pull her in for a slow kiss. She resisted spreading her legs. For now. She also didn’t pull Emma on top of her, even though as the kiss went on and deepened, she started to want to.

After long moments, Emma broke the kiss. “I have some other ideas about what your interest might like,” she said between kisses along her jaw.

“What’s that?”

“If I unbuttoned- here,” she said, sliding a fingertip down her pajama top. “Now that you’re warm enough.”

Regina’s breath came out in a shudder. “I think if you do that, I’ll get a lot warmer.”

“Good. I want you hot,” Emma said, then started to slowly unbutton her shirt.

By the time she was done, the narrow strip of exposed skin between the lapels of Regina’s pajamas almost felt like it was sparking, and when she peeled the cloth away, they both made little sounds low in their throats. The hunger on Emma’s face looking at her breasts sent heat surging through her veins, and the way she immediately leaned down to nuzzle and kiss one and the other and between them overwhelmed her with sweetness. Regina watched, mesmerized and stroking her thumb over her cheek.

But as sweet as it was, it mostly made her want more. Soon, she was done resisting her impulses, cupping Emma’s jaw to guide her mouth to a nipple.

Emma grinned up at her, but didn’t hesitate to wrap her hot mouth around it, sucking lightly and stroking with her tongue. Then she switched sides, replacing her mouth with her fingers to roll her nipple when she went, and Regina felt her hips twitch.

Emma pulled her mouth away and smiled even wider now as she asked, “Is there someplace else you want my mouth?”

“God, yes, but take your clothes off first.”

“I thought I was practically naked.”

“Not naked enough. Let me see you.”

Emma winked and sat up. Regina felt the loss of contact for only a moment before Emma was straddling her, staring her down as she peeled her shirt up and up until she had to break eye contact. It had felt like she was seeing Emma’s breasts clearly through the thin shirt, but seeing them bare was so much better. She sat up immediately, and Emma made a startled sound when she wrapped her arms around her to pull her closer. She nuzzled her chest for a moment, then released her so that she could cup both breasts, relishing the slight weight in her hands.

“Wow, hi,” Emma said.

Regina knew her grin was a bit feral as she stroked a thumb across one nipple.

“Don’t tease,” Emma insisted.

“Don’t tease? As if you weren’t teasing me with that shirt that was basically transparent?”

“What happened to not being naked enough?”

Regina pinched her nipple. “Admit it, you wanted me to look.”

“No, but damn, it was a nice side effect.”

“Good enough,” Regina hummed, then leaned forward and sucked a nipple into her mouth.

“So good,” Emma groaned, threading fingers through her hair and holding her close.

But Regina had no intention of going anywhere, sucking one nipple and pinching and rolling the other with her fingertips. She wanted so desperately that she worried her touch was too rough, but Emma’s moans said she was enjoying it. After a few moments, Emma’s hips started to twitch and she realized she was still wearing those little shorts. She slid her free hand down and under her waistband, cupping her ass and pulling her close.

“Fuck, Regina,” Emma groaned.

She pulled her mouth off the nipple with a deliberate pop. “That’s a good idea. Take these off.”

“Okay, but you, too. I haven’t forgotten about going down on you.”

That sent a wave of heat through Regina that had her groaning, “Nnh.”

Emma moved back and they each made short work of their remaining clothes, and when Regina looked up, she found her looking at her with that look of hope and wonder again and couldn’t help smiling.

“I feel like I should pinch myself to be sure I’m not dreaming,” Emma said.

“I can pinch you,” Regina said with a wicked grin, reaching out toward her nipple again.

Emma laughed, but caught her hand. She reached with the other one. A playful scuffle later, and Emma was on top of her, pinning her hands down. They both laughed for a moment, and then Regina took her chance, lifting up with her hips to dislodge her.

Emma stopped her by shifting her weight, and when her thigh slid between Regina’s they both moaned.

“Fuck, you’re wet,” Emma gasped, and immediately started moving downward, pressing hot, open kisses to her neck and chest and belly along the way. When she was laying between her legs, she looked up, a bit sheepish. “This is okay, right?”

“Oh yes,” she said, threading her fingers through her hair to coax her mouth where they both wanted it.

Her touch was soft at first, somewhere between exploration and adoration of every bit of her. But soon her tongue started to stroke more focused circles around her clit, and it felt so good—and knowing this was _Emma’s mouth_ on her cunt made it impossibly better.

“Yes, Emma- Mnh, so good-”

When her tongue began to flutter, she gasped, “Yes! Just like that, darling.”

Emma pulled back for a moment, but the protest on Regina’s tongue died away at the hunger on her face. “I want to be inside you. Please?”

“God, yes.”

In the next moment she had two fingers inside her and Emma’s mouth sucking on her clit, and pleasure raced through her white-hot. She flailed a bit before grabbing blonde hair and sheets, and Emma wrapped her other arm around her thigh, holding her tight.

“Fuck, Emma- So good- Just like that- Yes- Don’t stop- More- More- Yes-” Some part of knew she was babbling incoherently, but mostly she was too delirious to care. She felt her orgasm building, and both wanted it to arrive and wanted to ride the edge forever.

Then she was coming with a long, low groan, shuddering hard. She grabbed at Emma, pulling her upward, needing to feel her on top as she came down, and she seemed to understand, going along and kissing her cheeks and eyelids and forehead.

As Regina’s heart slowed and mind cleared, she became aware of wetness against her thigh. She slid one hand between them, cupping her with an easy touch.

Emma bucked into her, and her “Hi” sounded a bit embarrassed.

“Mnh, hello,” Regina said languidly, starting to rub with her whole hand.

“Fuck, your voice is hot,” Emma groaned, dipping her head to kiss her throat as her hips started to move rhythmically.

“Then I should keep talking?”

“Yes,” Emma said, a bit breathy now.

“Maybe I’ll tell you that I like feeling your hips working against my hand. Or that I’m imagining you riding the cock I keep in my nightstand.”

“Fuck, Regina,” Emma gasped, tucking her head against her shoulder as she moved faster.

“Yes, _fuck_. We’re talking about _fucking_ , Emma. I want to _fuck_ you.”

Emma was breathing hard now, her motion jerky like she was getting close.

“And then I want to strap you in and spread my legs for you and let you fuck me.”

Emma came, gasping and bucking hard, and Regina stroked her through it to coax every bit of pleasure out of her.

After a long moment Emma reached down and gripped her wrist to keep her still. She slid her hand out from between them and wrapped both arms around Emma, who shifted to lay beside her, half curled around her.

“Wow.”

Feeling strangely shy, Regina kissed the top of her head and held her closer.

“With a mind that dirty, I’d need a cold shower too.”

“Are you complaining?”

“No, I just can’t wait until we get home.” She was slurring now, sounding sleepy.

“Me too, not least because I could magic the covers up. Can you get them?”

Emma did, and the light, and when she snuggled close again, everything felt strangely perfect.


End file.
